I have very similar simptoms to the ones described in the original post. However, I only have InDesign CS5 (7.0).

Here is what happened:

Some months ago I installed InDesign CS5.

I created a new document (.indd) and everything was fine.

Then for some longer time I didn't do anything with InDesign, except for allowing it to install automatic updates.

Today I wanted to update the document I created earlier, but upon opening the document, InDesign tells me that the plugin "SHAREDCONTENT.RPLN" is missing. When I click OK, it then lists the following plugins that should be updated and the document won't open:

TEXT.RPLN

GENERIC PAGE ITEM.RPLN

GRAPHICS.RPLN

XML.RPLN

HYPERLINKS.RPLN

FORMFIELD.RPLN

DOCUMENT FRAMEWORK.RPLN

DYNAMICDOCUMENTS.RPLN

I checked for updates online and InDesign tells me that I have the latest version installed (7.0.4). I have Windows 7 (64-bit).

Any ideas on how to open my document? And again - I don't have CS5.5 and never had.

I'm having similar issues. I have CS5.5 w/ the latest update. I opened a document from CS5 today and saved it to 5.5. When I go to open it later, plugins are missing, this after I already received these warnings, updated the plugins, and now only "missing" SHAREDCONTENT.RPLN. When I open the converted file, it opens another instance of InDesign 5.5 and the plugin warning comes up again. I think they screwed something up in this last update... This is preventing me from completing my work...not happy about it.

I had this exact same problem today with a file I just worked on four days ago that guido on the 4th was having. I went online to Adobe to get the latest update of the CS5.5 and I still had the same problem. It wasn't until I hovered over the icon in the dock that I realized I had a CS5 icon on the dock, not the CS5.5. They both once were there but I decided to smoke one and leave the other. Problem was I apparently ditched the wrong one. They are identical so hence my mistake. All this supports the bad idea of using CS5 to open a CS5.5 document.

This also supports the idea that computers are dumb and people can be dumber. All troubleshooting techies will tell you to check the nut behind the keyboard.

Got the same error today, I guess someone sent me a file in InDesign 5.5, but I only have 5.0. This is pretty annoying. 1) Instead of a missing plugin error, you'd think that the program would be able to tell you why you are getting the error, and 2) files from a program with the same version number should play nice with each other instead of forcing everyone to upgrade.

As it is I have a client that uses CS2, so I have to keep a copy of indesign3, 4 and 5 just to be able to interact with them. Even then they get an export, that I can't open to make sure it works. Now I suppose I'll need 5.5 and all the previous versions. At least tell me 5.5 can be exported directly to 4, or am I going to need all four indesgn installs?

Very Quark like behaviour.

Oh, and thanks for the useful error message, who could have predicted that someone might try and open the file with older software? Why you'd have to be some kind of soothsayer…

The IDML file from InDesign 5.5 is crashing my installtion of InDesign. It appears to start importing links but gets hung up around the same place. Would a corrupt link be causing this error? I tried moving all of the links to see if that helps, but then it won't even start the import process.

The IDML file from InDesign 5.5 is crashing my installtion of InDesign. It appears to start importing links but gets hung up around the same place. Would a corrupt link be causing this error? I tried moving all of the links to see if that helps, but then it won't even start the import process.

Are you running InDesign 7.0.4 (the current version)? What operating system?

It was a corrupt tif file. The last several tif files of the package were corrupted (wouldn't open in Photoshop or any other program), and once I replaced them with good versions of the files, the IDML file imported/loaded fine.

Well, good for you. I am glad I said "not likely" instead of "impossible"...

But I am confused. You said it would not import your IDML at all if the links were missing (because you moved them all aside)? That is not at all normal -- normally it should skip missing links and note them as missing in the Links panel after the import is complete. Is it possible I'm misinterpreting you?

Agreed! I just ran into this nonsense trying to open a 5.5 file at home in 5. This file backward incompatibility is ridiculous, and has me ready to jump to another page layout solution. If it's going to be this way, we should have a way to choose IDML as our default file format. What a total waste of my time. Thanks, Adobe, for making it NOT happen. And, no, I won't be subscribing to anything soon.

This is INFURIATING, Adobe. I have to keep every version of Creative Suite back to CS2 on my machine in order to work with my various print suppliers. To hear now that CS5.5 documents will not open in CS5 makes me want to use an alternative product.

This must be addressed at some point. I appreciate that there are inconsistencies and new features with each version. But why can't this be handled like Illustrator? ie. backsave to an earlier specified version. Having to backsave to CS4 in InDesign CS5, then open the IDML file in CS4 and backsave to INX, then open up in InDesign CS3... Totally pathetic for a product that costs thousands and is supposed to be for professionals. Paaaahhh!!

Woah, claws back in! My favourite print supplier still uses CS3. They cannot afford to upgrade every six months in this economy. I've had to move to a press-ready PDF workflow with them because it is infuriating. But last-minute, simple edits are not so easy to manage as a result.

I moved away from Quark because InDesign was (and still is, in my opinion) a better product. But this issue, for me, is the one fly in the ointment. It's incredibly frustrating and causes all of my, ahem, professional friends to groan in much the same way I do.

Now one of my clients has moved to CS5.5 and I am on CS5 for the time being. One big headache for everybody concerned. It is ridiculous.

Woah, claws back in! My favourite print supplier still uses CS3. They cannot afford to upgrade every six months in this economy. I've had to move to a press-ready PDF workflow with them because it is infuriating. But last-minute, simple edits are not so easy to manage as a result.

Every six months? CS3 is what, 5 years old, now. And the upgrade cycle was 18-24 months in those days, not six months, and even now the announced acceleration is to 12-month upgrades. I think it's far more likely they didn't want to shell out for an Intel Mac.

In any case, those of us who need to work with printers who are stuck on CS3 (and yes, I am one of those people, too, for one of my favorite printers who happens to send me a fair amount of work and I need to send back files that they can edit in future) have two choices. Work in CS3 or switch to the PDF workflow. There's really no reason at all why you would want to work in CS5.5 if you have to share the native files with a CS3 user. Did you remove CS3 from your system?

Well no, we've upgraded to '5 and '5.5 because of ePubs. And, *of course*, for the very occasional client who insists on handing in self-made documents. A practice, by the way, we at the office strongly discourage. I f you can make a document in InDesign you can create a press-ready PDF (even if it means me hanging on the phone and guiding the client through the required motions).

I am a Professional Printer, as you can see from my screen name, and I am very fed up with the nonstop "pay to upgrade" hoops Adobe is always forcing us to jump through to stay in business. I have four graphic artists that all have to be upgraded everytime Adobe, Quark, Microsoft, and any other company the produce software that our clients could be using, feels like making a small change to fill their pockets. We have always taken pride in allowing our customers to be able to make the decision of which software program they want to use because only they know best what suits their needs. It is almost to the point of having to decide between saying goodbye to a customer or say goodbye to a graphic artist because it takes about a years salary to be constantly upgrading software for upgrades that make silly changes almost nobody will uses just to be able to do basic printing, which is what a majority of professional print consists of.

If the upgrade in a software is not big enough to merit a whole number jump (ie 4 to 5 to 6) then it shouldn't be enough to force us to pay to upgrade. And the trick of saying the fractional upgrade is so monumental that it can't be made backward compatable within a whole number version is purely a money issue and that just isn't right.

While I sympathize with your situation, I think you should take a clue from the post by Jongware just above yours. PDF is the way to go. Tell your clients to submit PDF and the entire problem of version disappears. As a designer I've been submitting PDF for years and wouldn't consider sending native files to a printer anymore. My favorite printer stopped upgrading at CS3, but I send him PDFs from CS5.5 and they have no issues printing those at all.

Sorry, but while I sympathize, software and hardware upgrades are a cost of doing business. And you're either way overpaying for software or way underpaying graphic artists if it takes a year's salary to pay for upgrades.

I concur with Peter and in fact, I couldn't tell you what, if any, version of InDesign a printer has. Any modern (professional) printer should be requesting PDFs.